Ilyushin 2/10 Sturmovik

An incredible 36,000 I1-2 Shturmoviks were manufactured, making this the most numerous military aircraft in history. The I1-2 was called a 'flying tank',because it was havily armoured and had great firepower from its cannon and rockets.

A low-wing metal craft with wood in the aft fuselage, the I1-2 began as a single-seater. At first production difficulties plagued its builders. Premier Josef Stalin cabled factory workers saying,'The Red Army needs the I1-2 as it needs air and bread.' Though handicapped by the war, Soviet industry rose to the occassion.

In February 1942 a two-seat I1-2 was introduced. This had a rear gunner under an extended canopy. Production versions appeared at the Front, while single-seaters were converted in the field.

The I1-2 could carry 1,200 kg (2,640 lbs) of bombs over a distance of 400 km (250 mil) and was agile enough to give attacking fighters a good run for their money.

Even more potent was the I1-10 Shturmovik, which arrived just as the war was ending. The aircraft saw extensive action in Korea with the Communist forces.

The Shturmovik an armoured attack warplane is a uniquely Russian concept. The IIyushin II-2 entered service in 1941, only months before the German invasion of the Soviet Union. IIyushin began designing the aircraft by fitting armour around a pilot and engine, and then thinking about the aerodynamics. The II-2 and the developed II-10 were used on a vast scale and proved to be devastating ground-attack weapons. The Shturmovik became a legend to the Soviet public, who saw it as an instrument of salvation and cheered its successes in battle.

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Czechoslovakia built large numbers of II-10 aircraft, under the name Avia B.33. They served into the late 1950s, as did the Soviet-built machines supplied to Poland. Both countries used the II-2 in the last year of the war.

II-2 flew in huge formations, forming a large 'circle of death' to attack. This allowed them to keep a target area under constant fire.